Stormlight Healing and Suspension of Disbelief

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

On 11/5/2017 at 7:07 AM, Knghtstlker said:

But, Colors man! he's got the stickiest hands in all of Roshar!

Me trying not to make a stick joke.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Fifth of Daybreak

[Knghtstlker he/him]

*ALL HAIL STICK!*

I am a stick!

I AM a STICK!

I am a Stick!

I AM A STICK!

I... Am... A... Stick!!!

*Cheers.*

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by Knghtstlker

[Marethyu316]

I don't consider it a Deus ex Machina (as I understand it), because there are clearly defined rules about why healing works, when it works and when it doesn't. We don't always know all the rules, such as when Kaladin suffers the shardblade injury (we'd previously been told that was impossible), but that makes sense to me in a limited POV novel. Brandon hides rules at times, but he doesn't make them up, without tying them into the larger system or solely for the purpose of saving a character. The ability to heal is connected to the wider cosmology of the cosmere and isn't something introduced just to help Kaladin in this fight. That's good storytelling to me, not Deus ex Machina.

[Stormrunner1730]

On 11/4/2017 at 5:41 PM, Cowmanthethird said:

The logic of it makes perfect sense now that I think about it, Stormlight was just always the best cosmere healing in my headcanon until I read that chapter for some reason.

On the topic of this thread, Feruchemical gold is way more OP and suspension-of-disbelief breaking. 

Ultimately, it's not something that I'm super frustrated with.  It was more just something I noticed and wanted to think about more in the context of the story and that fight.

In regards to Feruchemical Gold... (Alloy of Law Spoilers)

Spoiler

In general, it is kinda OP.  However. you need to have your "bracers"/metal focus/container.  Miles wasn't able to healing from that firing squad without his arm bands haha.

 

[Mystic_mammoth]

I would hazard a guess it has something to do with firstly Intent, which is a fundamental principle behind applying investiture meaningfully in all forms and worlds, and secondly, Kaladin's already far developed healing ability due to his intimate knowledge of human anatomy, healing and surgical training which allows him to focus the power of stormlight to do its work more efficiently. After all, magic on Roshar operates by enhancing present or innate abilities rather than granting new focused abilities. Surgebinding works with what it already there. I would even theorise that the specific abilities that manifest in radiants are related to innate or already present abilities. This idea in combination with the more focused Surgebinding skill masyered over time  by slow and arduous process of oath progression, makes Kaladin a far better healer than Szeth who simply received his powers from a powerful sword. 

Edited December 24, 2018 by Mystic_mammoth
Grammar

[Embrisk he/him]

The story is usually very vague when it comes to how much stormlight they actually have, so it's hard to come to a conclusion as to when they should run out of stormlight.

Actually, what I find a little harder to believe is how he goes flying across and into a guy wearing shardplate infront of everyone, and NOBODY is surprised or notices when his kick breaks the guys shardplate. Seriously, his kick would have had to be as strong as a boulder flying into the guy. Since its done with gravity, he wouldn't have started at terminal velocity, he would have accelerated over distance. I'm sure his internal organs got pretty messed up when he landed, too. It would probably be like jumping from a building.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Ookla the Servillius

[Lightblood]

I would also like to point out that in the arena when he fell the break would most likely be very small. 

I was wondering if his pre-existing knowledge of general healing and surgery would allow his Stormlight to work more efficiently. Like because he already has the knowledge of how to fix his body without stormlight, his stormlight is better directed. Allowing him to heal faster than even another Nahel-bond surgebinder. 
This being said I can't really think of a to prove this. Jasnah got stabbed and healed from it but we don't know how much stormlight she used for that heal as compared how much stormlight it would take for Kaladin to heal. The only way to prove this is to have both suck in a diamond marks worth of stormlight, and then stab them both. As I doubt that Brandon would put such an obvious quantifiable amount in the book so....